Black Friday Deals Online:

For bargain hunters like me, Black Friday offers one of the best shoportunities of the year. Retailers put out blockbuster buys, hoping the deals will entice folks to open their wallets and start spending.

(Hence the Black Friday nickname, as stores bank on making enough to take ledgers out of the red and into the black.)

I'm not alone in my love of the post-turkey retail marathon. Research shows that each year about 50 percent of Americans hit the stores on the day after Thanksgiving. (Although the Saturday before Christmas is actually the busiest shopping day of the year for sales, the day after Thanksgiving is the biggest day of the year for shopping traffic.)

In the past, I've gotten up at dawn to line up in the chilly November air with other eager consumers. I'll be shopping again this year, but I won't be out in the cold. That's because the deals will be as close as my home computer, says Michael Brim, founder of Bfads.net, a website that starts posting Black Friday deals as early as September.

"This year, most of the door-buster specials will be online," Brim says. "Some stores will post their sales at midnight on Thanksgiving night. Some are starting even earlier."

Sounds good to me. Virtual shopping offers advantages over brick-and-mortar browsing: no need to get out of my pajamas or drive anywhere, no heavy shopping bags to lug around or relentless loops of canned holiday music to listen to.

Best yet, I can start working on my holiday gift list immediately.

In the past, the best online sales hit cyberspace on Cyber Monday (the Monday following Black Friday). Not this year. Brim says online retailers are in deep-discount mode now.

"As far as I'm concerned, the words 'Black Friday' and 'Cyber Monday' shouldn't even be in the same sentence," Brim says. "The Monday deals have never been as good as the Friday deals, and that's even more true this year."

Blockbuster savings this season include $200 laptops, $500 42-inch HDTVs and $50 luggage sets, according Couponshack.com. (The website features a special Black Friday section with updated deals and dollar-stretching tips.) Blu-Ray Disc players may go as low as $99. Other deals will be on MP3 players, digital cameras and toys.

But while sales may come early, they may not last long. If you see something you like, grab it, Brim says.

"Retailers have kept inventories low, which means there may not be much left after the holiday rush," Brim says. "Don't sit around waiting for stuff to go lower and lower."

To maximize your online savings, use price-comparison search engines and check for coupon codes and free shipping offers. Websites such as FreeShipping.org, DealNews.com, RetailMeNot.com, PromotionalCodes.com, CouponWinner.com and CouponSherpa.com all offer breaking Black Friday news.

(CouponSherpa even offers a free mobile coupon iPhone app.) BlackFriday.gottadeal.com lists holiday ads before they've been published. Whenever you can, send gifts directly to recipients rather than lugging them onto planes. (Remember those checked baggage fees.)

If you do head out to stores, develop a list and a schedule. Buy the paper, check ads for specials and holiday hours and be there when the doors open. (Rumors are that Target will be offering $3 small appliances — toasters, coffee makers and slow cookers — and that Walmart will have $250 32-inch HDTVs.)

Carry sale circulars with you and don't forget your coupons. The National Retail Federation says that more than 40 percent of Americans will be shopping with coupons this holiday season. Be one of them.

Leave the kids home. Bring along bottled water and a snack so you don't have to stop to eat. Be decisive. If you see a deal, buy it immediately. It won't be there when you go back.

Don't get sidetracked and don't buy anything that's not on sale. (If you're going to pay full-price, why are you shopping on Black Friday?) Know what you're looking for. This is not the day for browsing. Harried store clerks won't have time to hold your hand or explain the finer points of a digital camera.

Put down that wrapping paper (you bought marked-down holiday goods at post-Christmas sales last year, didn't you?), and don't look at stuff for yourself. Stick to your list.

Streamline your efforts. If you see something at one store that you know is being offered for less somewhere else, ask if they will match the price. (See why we told you to carry the circulars?)

The more frustrated you get, the less you'll accomplish. If you haven't purchased anything after a few hours, head home and log onto the Internet. Along with the same great deals available in stores, you should be able to snag a primo parking space right by the door.




credit:http://www.courant.com